Today, there are hundreds of millions of evangelical Christian believers throughout the world who earnestly seek to obey the Bible in all areas of life. They take the Bible as the Word of God—as their divinely authoritative guide to all of life. And although they are aware of their own shortcomings, they find that seeking to follow the Bible daily leads to a joyful, fulfilling life that knows frequent blessing from God. I think that this applies to the Bible’s teachings on civil government as well.
The Bible has several examples of believers in God who influenced secular governments. For instance, the Jewish prophet Daniel exercised a strong influence on the secular government in Babylon. Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, “Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity” (Daniel 4:27).
Daniel’s approach is bold and clear. Did he specify in more detail what sins and iniquities needed to be changed in Nebuchadnezzar’s reign? Did he tell the world’s most powerful ruler how the God of the entire universe wanted him to act as king? The context suggests that he did. Daniel is an Old Testament example of a believer exercising “significant influence” on a civil government, and one ruled by a pagan king at that.
The counsel that Jeremiah proclaimed to the Jewish exiles in Babylon also supports the idea of believers having influence on laws and government. Jeremiah told the exiles, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). But if believers are to seek to bring good to such a pagan society, that must include seeking to bring good to its government. The true welfare of such a city will be advanced through governmental laws and policies that are consistent with God’s teaching in the Bible.
Other believers in God had high positions of governmental influence in non-Jewish nations, including Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah, Mordecai, and Queen Esther.
In addition, there are several passages in the Old Testament prophets that address the sins of foreign nations around Israel. These prophets could speak to nations outside of Israel because the God who is revealed in the Bible is the God of all peoples and all nations of the earth. He is their Creator, and they will one day stand before Him in judgment. Therefore, the moral standards of God as revealed in the Bible are the moral standards to which God will hold all people accountable.
In the New Testament, John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul are examples of believers who influenced governments and governmental leaders.
Believers have a responsibility to bear witness to the moral standards of the Bible by which God will hold everyone accountable, including those in public office. Influencing government for good on the basis of the wisdom found in God’s own words is a theme that runs through the entire Bible.
Try to imagine what a nation and its government would be like if all Christian influence on government were suddenly removed—if all the churches and all the Christians in a society stopped seeking to have any kind of influence on laws or on government.
Within a few years, most people would have no moral authority beyond that of individual human opinion. How could a nation find any moral guidance?
We need to remember that the entire world is locked in a tremendous spiritual battle. There are demonic forces, forces of Satan, that seek to oppose God’s purposes and bring evil and destruction to every human being that God created in His own image. They are seeking to bring destruction to every human society and every nation. “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).
Therefore, if pastors and church members say, “I’m going to be silent about the moral and ethical issues that we face as a nation,” that will leave a moral vacuum, and it will not be long until the ultimate adversaries of the Gospel—Satan and his demons—will rush in and influence every decision in a way contrary to Biblical standards.
And if that happens, then governments around the world will increasingly use their power to silence the church. Governments will say, “Keep your homophobic, misogynist, oppressive, fear-inducing, intolerant, militarist, hate-mongering Christianity out of our lives, out of our schools, off of our college campuses, off of our radio and TV stations, out of any part of government, and out of our quiet suburbs—where you are never going to get permission to build any more churches. Keep your hate-mongering Christian religion locked up in the privacy of your own home!”
That is where moral standards will come from if Christians remain silent.
